John Snyder of Niles, Michigan took advantage of some mild winter weather to get some exercise - a four-mile bike ride through the rolling hills of southwest Michigan.

Back at home, sitting at his computer, John noticed some unusual tightness in his chest. Five minutes later it was unbearable.

"I told my wife to call an ambulance," he said. "Something is drastically wrong."

John was having an Acute Myocardial Infarction. Most know it as a heart attack. Understanding it isn't quite as complex as you may think. Blockage of a coronary artery deprives the heart muscle of blood and oxygen, causing injury, chest pain and pressure.

If blood flow is not restored within 20 to 40 minutes, irreversible death of the heart muscle will begin to occur.

"That's why speed is so crucial when treating heart attacks," said Dr. Farid Jalinous, SJRMC Cardiology. "The heart muscle continues to die, permanently replaced by scar tissue, and it cannot be repaired."

What followed, in literally minutes, after John Snyder arrived at the SJRMC ER was nothing short of incredible.

At 2:13 p.m., the EMS called the ER at the South Bend Campus as the EKG was started. By 2:50, John was receiving PCI and the blockage in his artery had been cleared - 28 minutes from his time of arrival.

"They said it was a record," John said. "All I know is that everything was precision and professionalism. The treatment I received afterward was fantastic. This is why I tell everyone I know to go to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center."